Pakistan demands joint probe into 'accidental' missile fired by India

India said on Friday it had accidentally fired the missile into Pakistan this week because of a "technical malfunction"

Islamabad has demanded a joint investigation with New Delhi after India admitted that one of its missiles had landed in Pakistan after being fired accidentally earlier this week.

Though New Delhi already ordered a “high-level Court of Inquiry”, Islamabad pointed out that India’s internal probe would not be “sufficient” as the missile had fallen in the territory of Pakistan. It called upon the international community to take serious notice of the accidental firing of the missile from India, noting that any countermeasure by Pakistan could have had grave consequences.

Pakistan also demanded that India should explain if the missile had been indeed handled by its armed forces or some rogue elements. It stated that the incident indicated “many loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature” in the handling of strategic weapons by India.

Also Read | India to probe accidental missile firing into Pakistan

India has not yet officially reacted to Pakistan’s demand for a joint probe into the incident. A source in New Delhi, however, said that it had taken note of Pakistan’s bid to use the accidental firing of the unarmed missile to malign India’s “impeccable track record of responsible handling” of nuclear weapons and systems capable of delivering them.

A spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi stated on Friday that “a technical malfunction” during the “course of a routine maintenance” had led to the “accidental firing” of the missile on March 9. The missile had landed at Mian Chunnu city in Punjab in Pakistan just seven minutes after entering the territory of the neighbouring country. India stated that the incident was “deeply regrettable”, but noted that it was also a matter of relief it had not led to loss of life due to the accident. New Delhi did not divulge the details of the missile but said that it was one of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles manufactured in India in collaboration with Russia.

Islamabad on Saturday demanded that New Delhi must explain the measures and procedures in place in India to prevent accidental missile launches and the particular circumstances of this incident, should clearly explain the type and specifications of the missile that fell in Pakistan, explain the flight path and trajectory of the accidentally launched missile and how it had ultimately turned and entered Pakistan. “Was the missile equipped with self-destruct mechanism? Why did it fail to actualize?,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan questioned.

“Given the short distances and response times, any misinterpretation by the other side could lead to countermeasures in self-defence with grave consequences,” it said, adding: “Pakistan, therefore, calls upon the international community to take serious notice of this incident of grave nature in a nuclearized environment and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region.”

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